FALMOUTH — Ruby Haylock’s quest for another Maine Women’s Amateur Championship couldn’t have gotten off to a much better start.
Haylock, the champion in 2020 and runner-up last year, fired an even-par 70 to take a seven-shot lead in the first round of the tournament at Portland Country Club.
Defending champion Bailey Plourde, who also won in 2018, and Erin Holmes are tied for second after shooting 77s.
Haylock’s round was an example in steady play. She made no double bogeys, never bogeyed two holes in a row and cushioned the three bogeys she did card with three birdies.
“I’d rather play a nice consistent round than be all over the place with trying to hit miracle shots,” said Haylock, 17, who will be heading to Bates College in the fall. “It just doesn’t make sense to do that when I have a good solid, steady game.”
The round began inauspiciously for Haylock when she bogeyed the first hole, but she bounced back by chipping in for birdie on the fourth hole and then birdieing the ninth to make the turn under par. Bogeys on the 13th and 15th holes brought her temporarily over par, but she birdied the par-5 16th to return to even.
On the 16th, Haylock opted to lay up rather than go for the green, a decision that paid off when she put her third shot right by the pin to set up the easy birdie.
“(Caddy and boyfriend Eli Lind) and I were really focused on just having a good mindset throughout the round, and not getting down on a single shot because you can make up for it with the next one,” said Haylock, who plays out of Turner Highlands Country Club. “I tried really hard to keep that mindset all day, and it worked out really well for me.”
Playing alongside her, Plourde, who beat Haylock by six strokes to win last year’s title, struggled to find consistency with three birdies but double bogeys on two holes and bogeys on five more. The reason for the up-and-down play was no mystery; Plourde had back surgery in early March and had only played three 18-hole rounds before teeing it up Tuesday.
“It was probably a little worse than any recreational round I had, I think, regarding my back. The last four or five holes it got a little tight, I had to stretch it out a little more before and after each shot,” said Plourde, 22. “It’s just stiff. It’s not like I’m having too much pain, it’s just stiff and tight.”
With her back still recovering, Plourde, who’s affiliated with Sheepscot Links Golf Club, said she was happy with her round.
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I didn’t have a number in mind, I just wanted to go out and kind of see how it went,” she said. “I had a couple of birdies … and I don’t birdie a lot. I’m happy with that.”
Plourde showed her form from previous Ams by rolling in putts of more than 10 feet for birdies on 12 and 13 after solid approaches.
“That was very nice to have, showing myself I can still do it,” she said. “There’s a lot of golf left to play. I’m just going to go out there, try to get rid of the big numbers and (get things) going my way. Lots of pars, that’s the goal.”
Playing in the group behind, Holmes triple-bogeyed the first hole, double-bogeyed the fourth and bogeyed the fifth and sixth holes, but recovered to play the last 12 holes at even par with two bogeys and two birdies.
“I think I let my nerves get to me on the first five holes, those were pretty rough,” said Holmes, 23, who graduated after a college career at Bucknell University in 2021. “On the back nine, (for) a lot of them I had the same approach shot in, so I just got into a good rhythm and tried to not think about it too much and have fun.”
Holmes, a Greely graduate and Val Halla Golf Course player, took last summer off from tournament golf following burnout from her college schedule, but felt the itch to compete again this season.
“I took a year to remember that I play this game because I like it,” she said. “Now I just don’t put any pressure on myself, and I love it.”
Jordan Laplume (Dunegrass Golf Club), Erin Leland (Val Halla) and Thea Davis (Hermon Meadow Golf Club) are tied for fourth after shooting 80, while Meredith Koerner (Val Halla) and Ruth Colucci (Biddeford-Saco Country Club) are tied for seventh at 81.
Laplume, the 2019 champion who was in the group with Haylock and Plourde, said she’s not ruling out her chances to make a charge.
“I think I could have played a lot better, but I think I also could have went the other way,” said Laplume, 21, who rolled in a birdie putt of more than 30 feet on the par-4 11th hole. “I certainly don’t think I’m out of it. Who knows what could happen tomorrow. … It’s anyone’s game for the rest of the week.”
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